Corrençon en Vercors, France

Corrençon en Vercors is a small ski resort located in south-eastern France. The resort has proved popular with beginners and young children, as a result of the extensive range of ski schools and nursery slopes available.

Corrençon shares its facilities with the nearby town of Villard de Lans and is particularly proud of its cross-country skiing areas. The resort offers miles of pristine slopes and several fantastic restaurants and cafés.

How to Get There

By Plane

Corrençon en Vercors is located a short drive away from four international airports: Marseille, Grenoble St Geoirs, and Lyon St-Exupéry in France, and Geneva-Cointrin in Switzerland. For tourists willing to spend a little time on the road, Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris is very popular with airlines and provides a sensible gateway to the French Alps.

EasyJet provides an inexpensive service to Paris from many major UK airports including London Luton, Glasgow, and Liverpool. British Airways also offers regular flights to Lyon and Geneva but the overall cost is rarely under £100.

Grenoble is the closest airport to Corrençon en Vercors and is surprisingly well-served by British airlines. A comprehensive list of flights to Grenoble from many UK airports is available at the SkyScanner website.

By Car

London to Corrençon en Vercors is a relatively simple journey by car but the lengthy travel time may prove tedious for inexperienced drivers or family groups. The ideal route will take motorists through the Eurotunnel to Calais (prices start at £50 one-way) and then south through Reims and Lyon.

The trip takes approximately eight hours. Please be aware that a large number of French roads require toll payments.

By Train

The Eurostar ‘Snowtrain’ service provides a direct route to the French Alps on weekends. There are also several daily high-speed trains (the TGV service) that run between Paris and Grenoble. Grenoble is only half an hour away from Corrençon and Villard de Lans by train.

Travelling by train is by far the cheapest option but it does require some planning. Try and plan your trip so that you arrive in Grenoble in sufficient time to catch the last train to Corrençon.

Who the Resort Caters for

The Corrençon en Vercors resort is suitable for beginners and those wanting to improve their skills before tackling some of the more difficult French pistes. The resort also offers a wide range of other activities including ice waterfall climbing, hot air ballooning, sleigh rides, and horse riding. In the summer, a water park is also open to tourists.

Corrençon is a superb location for a short break during the school holidays as many of the hotels have excellent childcare facilities. Adults can take full advantage of the casino and the local bowling alley, or can simply spend the day relaxing in the L’Essentiel well-being centre.

Unfortunately, there are no specialist snowboarding facilities at the resort but downhill boarders are welcome to use the slopes or take a cable car to one of the other resorts in the region (Brides-les-Bains, for example, is only half an hour away from Corrençon).

Corrençon has a ski school, a beginners area served by draglifts (les Rambins), and a variety of sledge runs. Expert skiers and sports fans hoping for something a little more challenging should avoid Corrençon en Vercors and head north to the Portes du Soleil ski region on the Swiss border.

What Accommodation the Resort Offers

Accommodation is shared between two villages: Corrençon en Vercors and Villard de Lans. The hotels in the region are typically two or three star and offer a half-board service. Le Dauphin hotel is a small, but comfortable, property located close to the local leisure centre and within walking distance of Villard de Lans.

The hotel offers excellent après ski facilities due to its central location and is open throughout the year. Prices start at €70 per night and booking facilities are available at the official website.

Self-catered chalets are few and far between at Corrençon but there are a number of quaint family inns and houses available for weekly rent. The Auberge du Furon inn is situated at the foot of the Alps and offers visitors a choice of full or half-board service in one of its nine rooms.

Free parking, a bar and restaurant, several conference rooms, and special provisions for tourists with pets ensure that the Auberge du Furon is suitable for everybody. The inn remains open throughout the December holiday season, making it ideal for Christmas breaks. More information about the Auberge du Furon is available at the Easy Resort website.

Slope Information

The Corrençon en Vercors and Villard de Lans resorts provide skiers with access to around 100 miles of downhill slopes, including 32 individual pistes. The Haut Vercors skiing area is an ideal location for beginners to learn essential cross-country skills before braving the wilderness alone.

The same area also offers a special snowshoe walking trail through the woods. Many of the cross-country trails pass through the towns of Bois Barbu and Corrençon, allowing tired skiers to rest their legs and grab something to eat at one of the three refuges (small log cabins serving food and drink) on the trail.

Corrençon is a superb resort for beginners and the nursery slopes are as gentle and smooth as they come. The resorts have 27 ski lifts and 110 snow cannons to keep the abundant snow fresh. Snow cover is guaranteed during peak season.

Resort Vitals

Resort Vitals

Feature

Stats

Downhill Pistes

130km

Cross Country Trails

130km

Ski Lifts

27

Max Vertical

1020m

Highest Lift

2170m

Lowest Piste

1150m

Resort Altitude

2170m

The Corrençon en Vercors ski season begins in the middle of December and runs until the following April. The towns of Corrençon en Vercors and Villard de Lans continue to offer accommodation and various activities throughout the year.